Petition update

WHY IS HAVING TRANSPARENCY SO IMPORTANT IN OUR SALMON SEASON PROCESS?

Washington Citizen Sportsmen
Tacoma, WA, United States
Mar 11, 2020

Non-tribal fishermen CANNOT fish unless the Tribes collectively agree to what, when, where and how much. However, the tribes CAN get their permits without any agreement from WDFW. Does that sound fair? Can you see how the Tribes can use the permit process as LEVERAGE over WDFW to get WDFW to agree to reduce your seasons, your opportunities and the number of fish you keep. AND THESE DEMANDS ARE BEING DONE BEHIND LOCKED DOORS, SINCE THE TRIBES WON’T “ALLOW” EVEN A LIVE STREAM BROADCAST OF THE SECRET MEETINGS. NO WONDER THEY DON’T WANT US SEEING AND HEARING WHAT’S GOING ON.

Here is a portion of Director of WDFW Susewind’s deposition, given under oath that shows that WDFW cannot get a permit without the Tribal agreement.

Q = Attourney Joe Frawley asking questions
A = Director Susewind’s answers

BOLD was added to emphasis certain points

21· ·Q· Okay.· Couldn't Fish and Wildlife do that without an
22· · · agreement, just submit their own plan that meets its
23· · · conservation requirements and sets its own fisheries
24· · · consistent with US v. Washington?
25· ·A· We could try.· I don't think we have a mechanism to get to
·1· · · an ESA permit.
·2· ·Q· So is the LOAF the mechanism to get to an ESA permit?
·3· ·A· I believe so.· I believe that's the -- last year we went
·4· · · through Bureau of Indian Affairs, and I believe they used
·5· · · the LOAF, but that's a question for staff as well.
·6· ·Q· Okay.· As part of your getting up to speed, or as best you
·7· · · can with this complicated issue, but trying to get up to
·8· · · speed on these tribal negotiations, did you study or get
·9· · · briefed on past tribal negotiations where an agreement was
10· · · not reached?
11· ·A· Not on the details, no, but the fact that there was a
12· · · situation where it wasn't reached, yes.
13· ·Q· What did you learn about that situation?
14· ·A· That we went through -- North of Falcon didn't reach an
15· · · agreement, it didn't look like we were going to be able to
16· · · go fishing.
17· ·Q· Okay.· Who did you speak to about that?
18· ·A· Ron Warren primarily.
19· ·Q· Did you read any of the letters back and forth regarding
20· · · that fishing season?· I know Mr. Grossmann --
21· ·A· From 2016?
22· ·Q· Yeah.· I know Mr. Grossmann sent some.· The Puyallup Tribe
23· · · sent some back.· There was some back and forth.· Were you
24· · · privy to any of those discussions, or did you learn about
25· · · them after the fact?

·1· ·A· From 2016?
·2· ·Q· Yeah.
·3· ·A· Yeah, some of them.· I can't say I extensively reviewed it.
·4· ·Q· So Mr. Warren, Ron Warren, indicates that because there was
·5· · · no agreement, you were not going to go fishing, meaning the
·6· · · State was not going to be able to implement fisheries?
·7· ·A· There was a question whether or not we would be able to
·8· · · implement fisheries that year, yeah.
·9· ·Q· Do you know what ultimately came from that?
10· ·A· We ultimately got to agreement and got it established, a
11· · · fishery established.
12· ·Q· Okay.· I guess that begs the question why without an
13· · · agreement can we not implement a fishing season?
14· ·A· Why now can we not implement --
15· ·Q· In general.· It sounds like without an agreement in 2016
16· · · and then again in 2019 without an agreement we won't have a
17· · · fishing season, it sounds like, is your belief, correct?
18· ·A· In my belief without an agreement at North of Falcon, we
19· · · wouldn't have a fishery.· We don't have really a good way
20· · · to get that ESA take permit as a state.
21· ·Q· Okay.· So without agreement, you can't get an ESA take
22· · · permit so you can't implement your fisheries, correct?
23· ·A· You could, but I don't know what the mechanism is,
24· · · especially with the -- if the Tribes don't agree with it.
25· · · It's the value of the LOAF.· It shows that the co-managers
·1· · · have agreed.

Unfortunately, Tribal spokespeople seem much less interested in Open meetings. King 5 news is quoting spokesperson Lorraine Loomis as saying the rules do not apply to them:
“Treaty tribes – as sovereign nations – are not bound by the state’s open public meetings laws. For a number of years tribes agreed to allow some citizen representatives to observe NOF negotiations. That practice ended after the observers publicly mischaracterized tribal and state negotiating positions, further complicating an already challenging process.”

Here’s what Commissioner Dave Greybill said about the process in an article from Northwest Sportsmen Magazine:

“It puts us in a very difficult position because NOAA has been very blatantly on the side of the tribes and it is not an equal playing field,” said Commissioner Dave Graybill of Leavenworth. “Because of their position, we’re not in a position to win at all. But it enhances the ability of the tribes to delay because they know … they’re going to fish. (NOAA’s) best estimate for a separate path could be 18 months for permitting … They’re using it as a lever against us.”

Clearly there is no way that anyone can call this Co-management, this is more appropriately called COERCION!

Help us end this! Sign the petition, get the word out, and send letters and call the Commission, The Director, Northwest Indian Fisheries Chair, the Senior Advisor for Natural Resources for Governor Inslee, and your legislators.
 
 
 

 


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